The production form of Tata HBX is hoped to launch in the coming months, here’s what we know of it yet…
Tata Motors cars have been in high demands lately with the likes of the all new Safari, Nexon, Nexon EV and Atroz on sale in the country. It has been a while since we have been seeing the homegrown carmaker testing their upcoming sub compact SUV based on the HBX concept, hinting at an imminent market launch.
However, the ongoing second wave and the associated health and business chaos have made many carmakers push their upcoming launches, and Tata Motors stands no different. With its key competitors like Hyundai India, Mahindra and Maruti Suzuki having lined up crucial models for late 2021, it is almost certain that Tata Motors too will launch the production HBX during the festive season (September-October).
Apparently, as a prelude to the same, a few units of the vehicle, though camouflaged, were recently spotted inside, what appears to be the Tata plant premises. The vehicles in the pictures appear to be production-ready, and could even be the first units rolling out from the production lines.
Going by the spy shots, the production car does fair justice to the HBX concept, by retaining most of its design cues. It has a tall stance, black pillars, roof rails, dual tone wheels, black body claddings, wraparound LED tail lamps,raked front windshield, split headlamps ( reminding you of the Harrier at times!), wide air intake and a pair of elegant LED DRLs .
The HBX-based SUV’s cabin is said to have much in common with those of familiar nameplates like the Tiago and the Altroz. A touchscreen infotainment system with integrated Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is expected to be present on the higher variants. While there is no confirmation yet on the powertrains, we expect the car to borrow the 1.2L 3 cylinder petrol engine from the Tiago ( or should I say Altroz?). A 5MT and 5 AMT are expected as transmissions.
The production HBX was earlier hoped to come with the name ‘Hornbill’. However, a few recent rumours suggest that it could be called Tata Timero upon launch. While there is no official word or lucidity on the same yet, we do know that the launch is around the corner! The production HBX will rival the likes of Suzuki Ignis, Mahindra KUV 100 and the upcoming Hyundai AX1 expected to go on sale here, next year.
Source: Motorbeam
